Bus passengers in Cambridge can now use their mobile phone to pay for journeys, in a trial that could be extended to the rest of the UK.

The scheme sees Everything Everywhere partnering with Stagecoach bus network and enables passengers to purchase tickets on their NFC-enabled mobile device before simply tapping their phone on the bus's smartcard reader.

If successful the trial could lead to a nationwide roll out of NFC contactless travel payments for both bus and rail services throughout 2013.

The handsets used for the trial will all need to be NFC enabled or - as Orange is dubbing its Near-Field Communications technology, “Quick Tap” - and will be kitted out with an app that makes the phone compatible with Stagecoach buses.

The trial is already under way in Cambridge and Everything Everywhere told Pocket-lint that “around about 40 people” will be using the NFC contactless ticketing payment scheme throughout.